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DESCHAPELLES COUP

Yes, I can hear you say it's been long you hear from me. Im here again with another psychological side of chess. As strongly as I support the use of psychology in chess, Im here to show you the one that might not work for you but had highly worked for only one man; Alexandre Deschapelles.

A frenh champion who only played tough tournament by removing a pawn and asked his opponents to make single or double move losing tempi before he would start playing.

His vast success made psychologists to name such mind-set The Deschapelles' Coup

If you're wondering what he was trying to prove, then you need to listen to A. Deschapelles in his own words:- "I never thought, nor do I believe, that a player of my force could ever appear from the chilly regions of the north. A southern sun can alone organize a brain of sufficient chess-genius to cope with me. In proof of this, hear what happened in Prussia. After the battle of Jena, in 1806, our army entered Berlin. The ladies there, having expressed wonder at our rapid march, were told politely, by one of the French officers, 'We should have arrived here even twenty-four sooner, had we not met with some slight obstacles on the way!' -- these slight hindrances being an army of 300,000 men, whom we were forced to get past! Well, I lodged at the house of a colonel of the Prussian national guard, who, the very first evening, took me to the celebrated Berlin chess club, instituted by the great Frederic himself. "A numerous party of amateurs were assembled to receive me; the lists were pitched, the arms in order. The three strongest heads of the club were opposed to mine. Before playing, in the course of some preliminary conversation, I asked whether any foreigner of my acquaintance had ever enjoyed the honour of an introduction. The reception book being produced, displayed a number of names, French, English, and so forth, but not one whom I knew. 'Which party has been chiefly victorious, yours or your visitors?' demanded I. 'Oh!' replied they, cavalierly enough, 'our club have always come off winners.' 'Very well,' replied I; 'such will not be the case this time.' 'Why?' 'Your club must lose!' Fancy the sensation produced by these words! They all gathered round, and a noise like a Babel broke forth; from which issued such expressions, from time to time, in German, as, 'Oh, what insolence! What presumption! We'll punish him!' "Before playing, it is necessary to settle the terms. I at once declared I never played even, and offered the pawn and two. 'What is your stake?' was the question. 'Whatever sum you please,' answered I; 'from a franc to a hundred louis.' They now said they never played in the club for money. I thought to myself, if that be the case, why ask me what my stake was? But I let that pass; and the three best players sat down to play against me. Not only did I insist on their consulting together, but I further authorized every member of the club to advise them as he might think fit. It was agreed we should play even, in other respects; and as they obstinately refused odds, I resigned myself and them to fate. "The move was drawn for, and gained by me. I played the king's gambit. They took and defended the pawn. Feeling a little sore at what had passed, I thought the less ceremony was necessary; so on the eleventh move, I got up, and told them, in an off-hand way, that it was useless to continue the game, as I had a forced mate in seven moves, which I detailed to them. I then appeared as if about to leave the room, accompanied by my host, and a friend, a cavalry colonel in our service; who, being very fond of chess, had come to take part, as second, in the duel. "The members of the club crowded round, and, changing all at once their tone, asked me politely to favour them with another trial... the next day left Berlin for Hamburg. I did not expect much from them; Berlin is so cold! Besides, for twenty years, I gave the pawn and two moves to the first players in Europe, be they whom they might, when they presented themselves; and would do so still." To hear A. Deschapelles narrate his chess doings, with the real spirit of military frankness, is one of the pleasures of this world.

The image you see, shows one the middle games between A. Deschapelles vs De Labourdonnais in 1836.

After Nxh6+...gxh6 can you prove how Deschapelles mated black in 4moves?